As Northeast Ohio recovers from a major winter storm, experts are encouraging social interactions to stave off mental health problems such as seasonal affective disorder and depression.
Seasonal affective disorder is a type of depression caused by changes to the seasons that lasts about four to five months out the year. According to the National Institutes of Health, symptoms include social withdrawal, loss of interest in hobbies and changes in sleep and appetite.
Dr. Lisa Ramirez, a clinical child psychologist at MetroHealth System, said we need in-person connection even when it’s tempting to “hibernate” during the short, cold and dark days of winter.
“Our brains are primed to look at body language and facial expressions,” Ramirez said. “There’s a lot of really good input that we get from seeing people, being outside, breathing, even if it’s cold.”
A 2024 poll from the American Psychiatric Association found 30% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 reported being lonely every day or several days a week. The U.S. Surgeon General declared loneliness as an epidemic in 2023, saying isolation “is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety, and premature death.”
Ramirez also said social media is not a good replacement for face-to-face interaction. While scrolling apps such as Instagram may be comforting in the moment, our brains thrive from in-person interactions — not digital ones, she said.
“We might think that we’re having social interaction because maybe we’re commenting on somebody’s social media post,” Ramirez said. “But it is not really giving us a lot of that three-dimensional input that we (need to) feel.”
Beyond socializing face-to-face, Ramirez recommends short walks or at least a new offline hobby to combat depression. Something as simple as a short walk or a trip to the grocery store could work wonders for your brain, she said.
“We call it behavioral activation, where even though you don’t want to get out of bed and get uncozy, we know that in the long-term (getting out) really does help with mood and help with just feeling better in general.”
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, call or text the Frontline Suicide & Services Lifeline at 988.